Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Cheap and effective multipurpose cleaner

I've been needing to find a good and effective DIY cleaner for a while now but I couldn't find any recipes that weren't cost effective. So I made my own! Really the most expensive thing in this recipe is probably the vinegar.

What you'll need:

a clean gallon jug

3 or more oranges (and you can always add more over time)

1/2 gallon of vinegar

3 or 4 tsp of cinnamon (optional but gives your house a glorious scent!)

1/2 gallon of hot tap water (don't make it too hot, just straight from the tap is fine)

The process:

Pour vinegar in jug
peel oranges and add ever single peel to the vinegar
close lid and give it a good shake or two
add cinnamon and hot water
close tightly and shake well
let sit at least 8 hours before using and shake well before each use.

To clean counters and mop floors:
pour about 1/4 -1/8 cup in a 1/2gal of hot water, use mop/sponge to mix before cleaning

To clean toilet:
Prior to using cleaner:
flush toilet
add 1/4 cup of baking soda+ 1 drop of dish soap to toilet bowl, lightly scrub into a paste and let sit 15-20 minutes
add 1/4 cup of cleaner to the mixture DO NOT FLUSH it will foam (that means it's working)
let sit 10 minutes, give a quick scrub and flush, toilet should sparkle like new!

As an ant repellent: Did you know cinnamon is too strong for ants to handle? Vinegar has the same effects!
lightly dilute and spray on effected area, ants will avoid areas where the solution is present ( I suggest lining walls with it along the ground)